RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the standard that is replacing SMS on mobile phones. For the recipient, the message arrives in the usual place, the phone's built-in messaging app, with nothing to download. The difference is in what the message can do.

Instead of an unknown short code and plain text, an RCS message shows who is talking: the company name, the logo and the verified account badge. It can include photos, videos, cards with buttons, product carousels and suggested replies the customer can tap. And if the customer replies, the conversation continues right there, handled by the Vozis AI agent.

Vozis added RCS to its clients' operations in September 2026. It works as one more gear in the machine, alongside calls and WhatsApp, with the same intelligence behind it.

SMS has a trust problem. The message comes from a number the recipient doesn't recognize, with no name, no face and often a shortened link. That is exactly the format scammers use, so customers grow suspicious, ignore it or delete it.

RCS removes that doubt at the source. The company's brand appears before the customer even opens the message, and the verified badge shows that the sender has been confirmed. In practice, a verified sender means more messages opened, more clicks and more replies.

• Identity: name, logo and verified badge, instead of a short code.
• Format: images, videos, cards, carousels and PDFs, instead of plain text.
• Action: buttons and suggested replies, instead of loose links.
• Conversation: the customer replies and gets an answer, instead of hitting a number that never responds.

No single channel reaches everyone. Some customers never pick up unknown numbers, some mute business chats on WhatsApp, some numbers are not on WhatsApp at all, and some people only read their work email. A sales operation that relies on one channel loses, every single day, part of the contacts it already paid to generate.

That is why RCS, SMS and email are not standalone tools. They are complementary parts of a complete sales operation, each one covering a gap the others leave open:

• Phone calls: the engine. This is where decisions happen and where conversion is highest.
• WhatsApp: everyday conversation with people who already engage with the business.
• RCS: the official branded message with buttons, which reaches people who did not reply elsewhere and costs less to scale.
• SMS: universal reach, for short reminders and for phones without RCS.
• Email: the formal record of invoices, bills, contracts and confirmations.

When these channels work together, your contact rate goes up: if the customer misses the call, they get an RCS message; if they do not open it, they get an SMS; whatever was agreed arrives by email. Spreading attempts across several paths is what separates an operation that reaches 40% of its list from one that reaches almost everyone.

RCS is not here to replace WhatsApp. They play different roles, and businesses that use both well get the best of each. Still, there are three reasons many operations are moving part of their WhatsApp sends to RCS.

Lower cost per message

WhatsApp message templates, especially marketing templates, carry a per-conversation cost that adds up fast in large campaigns. RCS usually has a much lower cost per message, so you can reach a bigger list, retry more often and keep a steady communication cadence without blowing the budget.

More freedom to test

On the official WhatsApp Business API, every template must be approved by Meta, the category (marketing, utility or authentication) is enforced, each number has a daily limit of new contacts, and the number's quality rating drops if too many people block or report it. Some messages, such as certain collection notices and aggressive offers, are often rejected or put the number at risk. RCS has rules too, such as brand verification, but it is usually more flexible for varying formats, testing copy and sending collection and promotional messages.

Reach beyond your WhatsApp audience

RCS lands in the phone's built-in messaging app, without the customer having saved your number or opted in on WhatsApp. It is a second path to people who did not reply, and their reply becomes a conversation with the same AI agent.

In practice, Vozis uses WhatsApp to talk with engaged customers and RCS to reach, collect, reactivate and test at scale. And phone calls remain the engine of it all.

Every RCS message is built from a template, a ready-made layout that the Vozis team creates and saves for use in campaigns, in the cadence flow or by the agent. There are six template types, each designed for a specific goal:

• Text: a direct message with up to 11 buttons or suggested replies.
• Card: an image or video, a title, a description and up to 4 buttons.
• Carousel: 2 to 6 cards side by side that the customer swipes through.
• Image: a featured photo, such as a product launch.
• Video: a video that plays right inside the conversation.
• PDF: an attached document, such as an invoice, contract or menu.

Below, each format with an example of how it looks on the customer's phone.

The text template is the simplest one, yet it already does far more than an SMS: it arrives with the company's identity and can include suggested replies, buttons the customer taps to respond. Instead of typing "1 to confirm", the customer taps "Confirm". Instead of copying a link, they tap "Pay by card".

Text messages support up to 3,072 characters and variables such as {{name}}, which are replaced with the customer's name at send time. It is the ideal format for reminders, notices and confirmations.

The card is the format that looks most like an ad, only inside the conversation. It combines an image or video at the top, a title of up to 200 characters, a description and up to 4 buttons, such as "Book a tour", "See photos", "Buy now" or "Talk to an agent".

It is the right format to highlight an offer, showcase a property, promote an event or invite a specific action, all with a single tap. Images can be JPG or PNG up to 1 MB, and videos MP4 up to 10 MB.

The carousel places 2 to 6 cards side by side, and the customer swipes through the options, like browsing a shop window. Each card has its own image, title, description and buttons.

It works especially well for showing products, cars in an auction, available properties, plans or time slots. The customer picks what interests them and taps the button on that card. From there, the AI agent already knows exactly what the person chose.

Media templates put a single piece of content front and center:

• Image: a large photo, JPG or PNG up to 1 MB. Portrait images (3:4) take up more of the screen and perform better.
• Video: an MP4 up to 10 MB that plays inside the conversation. Great for tours, demos and launches.
• PDF: a document up to 10 MB, such as an invoice, bill, contract, proposal or menu, that the customer opens straight from the message.

Templates are built right in the Vozis platform, on a screen with the editor on one side and a live phone preview on the other. As the team picks the type, uploads media and writes the copy, the preview shows exactly how the message will arrive, complete with the name, logo and badge of the selected agent.

The steps are always the same:

1. Template name, so it is easy to find later, and the preview agent, which sets the brand on display.
2. Message type: text, card, carousel, image, video or PDF.
3. Content: media, title, description and, for carousels, each individual card.
4. Buttons: the actions and suggested replies.
5. Variables: fields such as {{name}}, filled in with each contact's data at send time.

In the template list, everything is organized by type and ready to use in campaigns, in the cadence flow and in the agent's replies. As with everything at Vozis, our team builds them, based on the goals of your operation.

RCS is not just a broadcast channel. When the customer replies, whether by tapping a button or typing, the conversation continues right there and the Vozis AI agent takes it from there. It understands the question, answers it, shows options in a carousel and guides the customer to the next step, without ever leaving the messaging app.

The RCS agent is configured the same way as the WhatsApp agent: identity, instructions, knowledge base, tools, classifications, data collection and automated actions. Everything explained on the Vozis Chat page applies to RCS as well. And because the channels share the same history, a customer who started on RCS can pick up on a call or on WhatsApp without repeating a thing.

There are two ways to use RCS, and the Vozis team picks the right one for each goal:

• Send only: the company sends a message and doesn't expect a conversation. Ideal for notices, reminders and announcements.
• Conversational: when the customer replies to a company message, a 24-hour conversation opens, in which the company and the customer can exchange messages freely. The same happens when the customer writes first and the company replies.

Messages also come in two types: basic, plain text up to 160 characters, and rich media, with images, videos, buttons or longer text. Knowing this helps you design campaigns that invite a reply when the goal is a conversation, and direct messages when the goal is simply to inform.

Not every phone can receive RCS. It depends on the device, the messaging app and the carrier. To make sure no customer misses a message, Vozis automatically sends it by SMS whenever RCS can't reach the contact.

You don't need to build two campaigns or choose contact by contact. The same campaign reaches RCS users by RCS and everyone else by SMS, and the report shows which channel delivered each message.

SMS is the simplest and most universal channel there is: it reaches any phone, on any carrier, even without internet access. It lacks the identity and visual features of RCS, so Vozis uses SMS for what it does best: short, clear messages the customer expects.

• Reminders for appointments, tours, meetings or due dates.
• Confirmations with a simple reply, such as "Reply 1 to confirm".
• Status updates, such as order shipped or payment received.
• Fallback for RCS campaigns, for anyone who can't receive RCS.

An SMS holds up to 160 characters. Longer messages are sent in parts and reassembled on the customer's phone. Starting the message with the company name, as in "Brightwell:", helps the customer recognize who is talking.

Email is the channel for anything that needs to be on record. It is where customers look for last month's invoice, a contract, a receipt or an appointment confirmation. That is why transactional email remains essential, even with WhatsApp and RCS.

At Vozis, emails go out automatically at the right moments in the customer journey:

• Confirmations: a booked appointment, tour or meeting, with date, time and address.
• Bills and invoices: with the amount, due date, a pay button and the document attached.
• Receipts and contracts: the formal record of what was agreed in the conversation.
• Summaries: what was discussed on a call or on WhatsApp, for the customer to look up later.

Emails also keep your team in the loop: when a conversation reaches an important classification, such as "qualified lead", the person in charge gets an email with the data collected.

Calls remain the engine of Vozis, because that is where decisions happen. The other channels are the gears that keep the conversation alive between one step and the next, each one at the moment it works best.

In the cadence flow, they all follow the same path. For example: the agent calls; if the customer doesn't pick up, they receive an RCS card with a "Call me later" button; if they don't open it, they get an SMS; once the appointment is booked, a confirmation arrives by email and, the day before, a reminder by RCS or SMS. All with the same history, the same knowledge base and the same brand voice.

• Collections and payment plans: RCS with the amount, a "Pay now" button and the bill as a PDF; email with the invoice; an SMS reminder on the due date.
• Healthcare: appointment confirmation by RCS with "Confirm" and "Reschedule", a reminder by SMS and care instructions by email.
• Real estate: cards and carousels with properties, a "Book a tour" button and a conversation with the agent.
• Retail and auctions: product carousels, launch videos and time-limited offers.
• Reactivation: a branded message with a clear offer, to win back customers who stopped buying.